Poultry
Swedish Flower Hen
B tier
Swedish Flower Hen (Skånsk blommehöna) is a Swedish landrace known for multicoloured “flower” mottling on the plumage and strong free-ranging ability. Medium dual-purpose birds, they lay cream to light brown eggs and yield flavourful farmstead meat shaped by outdoor foraging rather than industrial growth rates. Culinary character is rustic and clean: whole roasting, pot-roasting, and Nordic stews suit the lean-to-moderate carcass. Dark meat benefits from slow moist heat in older birds, while younger stock makes an excellent free-range roast with careful basting.
Also known as: Skånsk blommehöna, Swedish Flower Hen, Swedish Flower Hen, Swedish Flower Hen, Swedish Flower Hen
Track this ingredient
Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Multicoloured landrace fowl were kept on farms in Skåne and southern Sweden for eggs and subsistence meat.
Modern commercial breeds nearly displaced remaining Swedish Flower Hen populations in rural districts.
Surveys rediscovered isolated farm flocks and launched organised conservation of Skånsk blommehöna.
Swedish gene bank and breed club efforts stabilised the landrace without heavy show-type alteration.
Export and hobby interest spread Swedish Flower Hens beyond Scandinavia as a colourful dual-purpose landrace.
Continued conservation breeding maintained genetic diversity and traditional farmstead utility.